Thu Feb 09 2012
By Dave O'Brien | Staff Writer
The owners of a Ravenna apartment complex have been accused of housing discrimination by federal officials for allegedly refusing to rent apartments to families with small children, in violation of federal housing laws.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has accused Testa Family Enterprises LTD, owners of the Royal Arms Apartments complex at 145 Van Buren Ave., of violating the Fair Housing Act.
Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on familial status, including against families with children.
HUD charges that a single mother with two children recently responded to an advertisement for a two-bedroom apartment in the complex, which is managed by Christine Testa. After telling Testa she had two young children, the mother said Testa told her she did not rent to people with small children and would not allow the mother to view the apartment, according to HUD.
The mother contacted the Akron-based Fair Housing Advocates Association, which conducted three telephone tests to investigate her claims. During the tests, Testa allegedly made statements "indicating a preference against renting to families with young children and/or refused to rent to the tester based on the age of the children present in the household," according to FHAA and HUD.
The HUD investigation also found Royal Arms Apartments allegedly had an unwritten restriction limiting families with children to units on the ground level of the complex.
Christine Testa declined Thursday to comment on the allegations.
"The evidence uncovered during the investigation showed that this young mother was not denied because she had bad credit or because she did not have a job, but simply because she had two young children," said Vincent Curry, FHAA's executive director.
Charges in the case will be heard either by a U.S. Administrative Law judge or in federal court. Monetary or other damages may be ordered by a judge if the case is heard in federal court.
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